Animorphs: A New Beginning
by Angel Barton
Summary: The story of the Animorphs has ended, but what would have happened if the Elimist and Crayak had struck a deal far back in the past? Someone with a life and destiny denied them before now enters the fray and has a chance to alter history.Chapter 5 is up!
1. Prelude

ANIMORPHS: A New Beginning  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Animorphs or any of the characters affiliated with it. They are the property of K. A. Applegate and by no means am I trying to steal her idea. In other words, please don't sue me. I'm a high school student with no money just trying to do something that I love to do, and that is writing.   
  
Author's Note: Ohayo minna-san, or for those of you not familiar with Japanese, hello everyone. Thank you for taking the time to read my story. This is my second attempt at fanfiction, so I hope that you find it good enough for your tastes. If you like this story, I would recommend reading my Gundam Wing fanfic under the "Anime" category. It is an alternate universe fic entitled "Broken Reflections". I know I'm shamelessly self-promoting, but I would really really like to get some reviews for it. I would really also appreciate some review for this fic. Good or bad, I doesn't matter, just tell me what you think. Well, I guess that's about it. Happy reading! Ja ne!  
  
  
Chapter 1: Prelude  
  
"Full emergency power to the engines," Jake said. "Ram the Blade ship." Within the cockpit of the Yeerk fighter dubbed the Rachel, Menderash calmly followed his commander's order. He shunted the reserves and the spacecraft leapt forward towards the larger ship. There was no cry of fear, no display of cowardice, from those onboard. They all knew their mission and were prepared to meet death head on. The crew of the Blade ship scrabbled to shoot down the smaller vessel, but the speed and surprise of the move had caught them off guard. There was no way to stop what was coming, and all present knew it...  
  
"Wait." The voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once, and had an instantaneous effect. The Rachel was frozen half a millisecond away from slamming into the unprotected bridge of the Blade ship, both hanging in the dead cold of outer space. Within the ship's walls, the passengers were held motionless in suspended animation, Jake's dangerous smile, Marco's tight-lipped grin of defiance, and the emotionless masks worn by Menderash, Santorelli, and Gerard held on their faces.  
  
There was a lengthy pause before the voice spoke again. "It cannot end this way, it can't be allowed. I will not allow it," said a figure from within the blackness of space. Its head turned towards another form nearby. "You owe me. Now it is time to pay part of the debt."   
  
"And how will these actions be justified?" questioned the other in a voice older than the stars.  
  
"The rules have been broken. He has made himself a direct player in the game. Therefore, this scenario is invalid. It is your move, and I have decided it for you. Do it," whispered the first.  
  
"As you wish. It will start again, but it can change only after they have assembled. The original players must be retained. He has his, and I now have all of mine-"  
  
The voice was cut off as the other interjected, "Don't presume too much. I am not your pawn; I have a life and destiny of my own that were denied me before," said the figure forcefully. It turned to glance back towards the ships. "I will promise you one thing though. It will not be the same this time..."   
  
  



	2. Plea

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 cuz I don't feel like writing it again.  
  
Author's Note: This story (and especially this chapter) will have a lot of scenes and passages that come directly and slightly altered from the actual books of the Animorphs series, so bear with me please. I know you've probably read all of the parts already, but they do have a point in this story. This particular style of story is pretty much an alternate universe/retelling, which means that I have changed the events of the actual story line around to fit into my own little story line (I have the power!!! ^_^). So, bear with me, and sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter up! Enjoy your reading, and remember: REVIEW!!! Ja ne!  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 2: Cry For Help  
  
"There he is," Cassie said. The others followed her gaze towards the line of trees at the edge of the field and spotted the newest addition to their little group, the Andalite Ax. As he galloped towards the group of five them, Jake spoke quietly, an anxious tone in his voice. "I hope there's no one around," he said as he scanned the area. Marco looked up and saw the russet tail feathers of a red-tailed hawk and gave him a wave.  
  
All clear, came Tobias's voiceless response as he swooped down to land on the grass nearby. There's some people having a picnic, but that's a couple of miles from here he said, fixing his predatory stare on his fellow Animorphs. Jake nodded and turned to face the young Andalite as he skidded to a stop before the group.  
  
Hello Prince Jake came his formal greeting, which caused Jake to groan under his breath and the rest of his friends to smile.  
  
"Hi Ax," Jake said. "How are you doing?"  
  
As Cassie responded with "I'm fine", Marco decided to voice his feelings in a much different manner. "I'm fine too Ax. Or at least I was until I heard someone say something really stupid."  
  
Ax looked uncertain. He swiveled one of his stalk eyes forward to get a better look at the young human's face. What stupid thing was said?  
  
Marco folded his dark-skinned arms across his chest. "Oh, nothing much, someone just said that we were going to try and steal a Yeerk spaceship."  
  
The alien cadet smiled an Andalite smile. You think it will be dangerous?  
  
Marco, ever the over-flowing source of sarcasm, retorted with, "Dangerous? Oh, of course it's not dangerous. No, jumping off a ten-story building is dangerous. Sticking your tongue in an electrical socket is dangerous- not to mention painful. But stealing a Yeerk ship? That's not dangerous. It's insane!!"  
  
Before Ax could respond, Jake's quiet voice came in. "The question is not whether this idea is insane or not, it's whether it's something we can do without getting killed," he pointed out.  
  
As Rachel was opening her mouth to express her judgment, the very air around the group seemed to grow heavier and a voice echoed their heads.  
  
Please…  
  
The six looked at each other in utter confusion, wondering if they had all heard the same utterance, that quiet, seemingly pain-filled voice. Before they could ask one another, they were overcome by a wave of agony that sent them reeling to the ground. Just as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone, but their heads were once again filled with that same pleading voice.  
  
Please… help me… I need—your help  
  
Ax's eyes, along with the humans', widened as they recognized that the sounds were being transmitted by thoughtspeak. Who are you? Ax replied.  
  
No time… but trust me—I am a- a friend.  
  
Jake looked at the young alien. "Ask him—or her, I can't tell, the voice keeps fading and echoing—ask how he's contacted us."  
  
Ax obeyed and a moment later, the voice came again. It's—complicated. Just please trust me… I need your help.  
  
It could be a trap, came Tobias's tense voice. We don't know if who he is. It could be some kind of transmitted message from the Yeerks that can only be picked up by those with morphing capabilities, namely us. They could be trying to lure us out he pointed out.  
  
At the mention of the Yeerks, Ax's eyes narrowed. Seeing the possible truth in Tobias's words, he addressed the unknown being in heated thoughtspeak. How do we know this isn't a trap set up by that Yeerk scum? Answer me! Or are you afraid that you've been found out, Yeerk? Answer!  
  
Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthil! came the calm, yet forceful reply. Ax's eyes widened at being addressed by his full Andalite name. If the Yeerks knew even half of what I know, you and the other five would have been dead long before now. The voice seemed to soften a little as it added, Though I can't blame you—for thinking that way. It is good that you—all have learned to—be cautious in this battle. But you must all believe me—I am an ally. Listen to your feelings—and see that I tell the truth. My time is growing short—I need your help now. I am—I don't know, but here—  
  
At that moment, a crystal clear image seemed to bloom in their minds. They could see trees, a swiftly running brook, and an odd formation of rocks grouped together in what seemed to be a small sheltered clearing. Wait! I know that place. I've flown over it before. said Tobias, his voice cutting through the picture, causing it to fade swiftly from their mind's eye.  
  
Good. Then you can lead—the others here. I will try to hold on—as long as I can. Please hurry, all of you—Aximili, Tobias, Jake, Cassie, Marco, Rachel—please…  
  
And then it was gone.  
  
There was complete silence between the six as the shock of hearing their own names together wore off. It was Cassie who broke the silence.  
  
"We have to help. This can't be a trap, he knew our names! If the Yeerks knew who we were, we would have been dead already. But who else would have been able to send a message in thoughtspeak besides…" She trailed off as her eyes widened in realization.  
  
"Besides another Andalite," finished Marco. "There's no other explanation."  
  
"I say we go for it," Rachel interjected. "If it is the Yeerks, then we're dead either way because they'll come for us if we don't go. But if it is another Andalite, we can't just leave them alone."  
  
He was hurt said Tobias quietly. You could hear his pain, the way he was talking, he could be dying… He turned his piercing gaze in turn to each of those gathered. I don't know about all of you, but I'm not going to sit by while another Andalite dies. The four other humans knew that he was referring to the one that they had perished before their helpless eyes; Prince Elfangor, the one who had both blessed and cursed them with the power to help save Earth.  
  
Slowly, they all nodded in agreement. "Alright Tobias, we'll follow you," Jake said decisively, resuming his role as the group's leader. "Everyone else, take to the wing. We're going to find that Andalite."  
  
  
  
  
  
**AN- If you didn't follow the jump from the last chapter to this one, we've jumped back to the beginning chapters of book 5. Just thought I'd put that little note there in case some of you were a bit confused. ~Angel Barton 


	3. Desperation

Disclaimer: I don't own Animorphs blah blah blah property of the all-powerful K.A. Applegate yadda yadda yadda poor high school student, so don't sue me!

Author's Note:  Hey everyone, thanks so much for the reviews!  To tell you the truth, I really wasn't expecting any, so I was very pleasantly surprised! ^_^  Well, the more you review, the quicker I seem to write, so here's Chapter 3, and hopefully my little plot twist is at least a teeny bit of a surprise for you.  Ja ne!   P.S.- For those of you that didn't get the hint the first two times, I LOVE REVIEWS!!! J

Chapter 3:  Desperation

            Are we there yet?  Are we there yet?  Are we there yet?  Are we there—

            Marco!  Shut up!  A large bald eagle swooped down suddenly and raked its talons towards the smaller osprey flying below, which banked sharply to avoid the attack.  

            Whoa!  Back off Xena!  I was just trying to lighten the mood, grumbled Marco.

Sheesh, no one around here can take a joke anymore.

            No offense, Marco came Cassie's quiet interjection.  But I don't think that this is exactly the time to be joking around.  Turning her attention back to the ground below her, she reached out to Tobias with her private thoughtspeak.  Are we getting any closer?

            We should be there any time now if I'm thinking of the right spot he responded tersely.

            Tobias, are you okay?  You sound a bit tense, she queried, concerned for the shy boy.

            No, not really.  I just can't get Elfangor's face out of my mind.  At the end… it was so horrible… I can't let that happen again.  I can't let another Andalite die, not all alone like that. 

            You can't keep blaming yourself, you know.  There was nothing we could do.  We were all scared and helpless against an enemy that we knew almost nothing about.  But in her heart, Cassie knew that her quiet comrade would never allow the guilt to leave him.  He had shared some kind of connection to the blue-furred alien, one that none of the others present that night would ever be able to comprehend.

            Ah!  Tobias' exclamation broke through her train of thought.  There it is!  Right down there.  You see it?  At his excited tone, the others broke of their individual searches and flew in close to the red-tailed hawk.  It's straight ahead about a hundred yards out.  See the gap in the treetops?  That's it.  Follow me, and watch the trees when you go to land, they can seem to pop up almost out of nowhere.

            Heedless of his own warning, Tobias folded his wings against his feathered body and dropped like a stone in his haste, the others close on his tail feathers.  As they neared the ground Tobias suddenly banked hard away from the area of dirt he was heading for with a cry of Turn! Now!  He managed to swing his hawk body in a tight circle and land safely a few feet away.  Jake, who had been following closely behind the other boy, was not as lucky.  The young leader tried to veer off, but he was too close to the ground when the warning came.  

            Jake was surprised to feel himself slam into a soft mass before he tumbled beak over tail to come to a stop a short distance from where he had hit.  The others managed to swerve away at the last moment and landed around the clearing as Tobias awkwardly hopped towards a small, brownish rumpled heap.

            Man, that must have been what            I hit.  What is it, Tobias? Jake asked as he began to demorph.  All of the others except for Rachel, who had alighted on an overhanging branch to stand watch, followed suit as Tobias nosed the bundle with his beak.

            It's a bird.  Some kind of hawk if I'm not mistaken.  Cassie, can you come take a look?

            Cassie, by now fully demorphed, walked over and knelt down beside the unmoving form as Tobias alighted on a more comfortable perch near Rachel.  After examining the bird, which lay in a tumbled heap on its stomach, eyes closed, she announced, "It looks like it might be a marsh hawk, but that's odd, there's no marshes around here."  She shook her head and reached out to touch the bird's wing when its eyes suddenly sprang open and it began to pant through its open beak, breaths coming fast and ragged.

I didn't think you'd—attack me when you found me. came that same pained voice.

Cassie jumped back quickly from the bird as the other members of the group jerked in surprise.  Ax, still wary about the previous thoughtspeak contact, stepped forward and anxiously arched his bladed tail over his head.  I still don't like this, Prince Jake. he said, turning to face the young boy.  Even if the creature knows our names, it could still be a trap.  

            "I know Ax.  My instincts tell me that this is all a ruse just to lure us all out into the open.  But there's something that just keeps telling me to trust… "  At this point, he broke off and looked down at the grounded bird at his feet.  "I don't mean to be rude, but what is your name?  It'd make things much easier if we knew what to call you instead of just assuming—"

            The raspy voice cut him off as the bird's body twitched in a sudden series of spasms.  Later!  I need—help.  Ugh… my right wing—there's some kind of projectile lodged in the bones… I can't demorph with it buried in a major joint and… I can't hang on much longer…  

            Cassie was suddenly all business as she once again kneeled down near the fallen raptor.  "I don't see how something lodged in your bone could be causing you so much pain," she said as she gingerly began to turn the bird onto its back so she could get a look at its right wing.  "I know it would be painful, but it's nothing that would ki—"  She let out a horrified gasp at the sight that greeted her as she moved the hawk's left wing away from where it had been covering the rest of its body.

            The bird's tan, dark cream-colored breast had been torn to shreds.  The once-smooth feathers had been ripped away and the flesh underneath now lay in tattered, bloody strips, crimson blood dripping steadily from the open wounds.  The dark-skinned girl was shocked.  _There's no way that all of this damage came from a bullet.  "But…how?" she asked, shaken.  _

Some kind of small creature—brown and black face, ugh, attacked me…fled just before you came… 

_Raccoon, thought Cassie ruefully.__  "Jake, umm, I need some strips of cloth or something to press on the wound.  We need to stop this bleeding."_

            There's no time, interjected the tortured voice.  Don't worry about the wound, just remove the bullet.  If you, argh, get that out I can demorph… and the wound will heal.  Hurry!

            Realizing the truth of those words, Cassie turned her attention to the hawk's shattered wing.  "Okay, I'm going to need some help with this.  Jake, come here," she said as the tall boy complied with her request.  "Alright, I want you to put one hand near the shoulder and the other on the other side of the joint and hold it down."  Looking towards the bird, she cautioned, "This is going to hurt, so just bear with me, okay?"

            Never mind about the pain— just hurry, it's getting harder to stay awake… came the acknowledgement, the voice much quieter and seemingly more distant.

            "Just stay awake, don't fade out on me now," she said, a sense of urgency creeping into her voice.  Cassie turned back to her patient's smaller wound.  "If only I had a pocket knife or something to pry it out with…"  She turned suddenly to face Tobias, her eyes focusing on his sharp, curved beak.  "Tobias."

            Say no more, Cass, just show me where it is and leave the rest to me, he said, swooping down next to the other hawk.  

            "Thanks," said Cassie, smilingly gratefully at her friend.  "Okay, see that small grey lump?  That's it.  What I need you to do is try to pull it out without disrupting the bones any more than they are if you can."

            Alright, here we go, he said as he ducked his head down towards the bone.  After a couple misses, he managed to hook his beak around the slug and as he gave it a sharp tug, he could feel it grind against the bone on either side.  Instead of making any show of pain, the other hawk remained limp and unmoving. 

            "Hurry Tobias, he's losing too much blood!" Cassie exclaimed urgently.

            Tobias put all his strength into his next jerk and, mercifully, the metal ball came loose, sending him tumbling backwards in the dirt.

            Knowing that she still had to set the bone in place before the injured creature could demorph, Cassie skillfully began snapping the shattered, hollow fragments back together. 

            Cassie!  He's almost gone! came Rachel's warning.  The hawk's eyes indeed were beginning to fade, his breaths becoming shallower and less frequent.  

            "Hold on, hold on!" the girl shouted, snapping the final shard back into place.  "There!  Demorph!"

            Nothing happened.

            "Come on, come on…" muttered Jake.  Marco and Ax looked on in silence while Rachel and Tobias fixed their sharp glares on the still unmoving form as Cassie began to frantically check for a heartbeat.

            Wait, there! came Tobias's hopeful cry.  The brown mass began to slowly grow as the creature demorphed from its ruined body.  Soft feathers melted and gave way not to blue fur, but smooth, tan flesh… 

_            This is wrong, this is very wrong…_

            The group watched the remainder of the changes with rapt attention.  When the transformation was complete, stunned silence filled the clearing as the six stared down at what the hawk had demorphed to.

            A young human girl.


	4. Introduction

Disclaimer:  Okay, once again, I do not own anything belonging to the Animorphs story.  Anything of that nature belongs to the Almighty K.A. Applegate.  The only thing I own is my original character, her storyline, and this story idea.  Yay, I own something!!!!

Author's Note:  Thank you so much for all of the reviews!!!!   They're the best motivation in the world!  Please keep them coming!!!  I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in forever, but I've been so stressed for time (and plagued with writer's block!) that I haven't been able to think straight, let alone write!  But now that I've graduated high school and have a month and a half of summer until college, hopefully I'll be able to turn out these chapters a lot faster!  Until next time, ja ne!

Chapter 4:  Introduction

            No one spoke for several long moments.  Seven pairs of eyes remained steadily fixed on the motionless body at their feet.

            I hate to be Captain Obvious, came Marco's quiet voice, but that's no Andalite…

            "Rachel, demorph to human.  Marco, as soon as you feel you can, go gorilla," Jake said, tensely, once again resuming his role as leader.  "We're going to need some firepower when she wakes up if she proves to be...," he paused, searching for the right word, "… disagreeable."

            "Say no more, one monkey man coming right up," quipped Marco, cracking his knuckles in an exaggerated display before coarse black hair began to sprout from his hands.

            Cassie knelt beside the girl's body, which was lying almost face down, and brushed the long strands of dark, honey-colored hair away from her neck.  She felt for a sign of life and, satisfied at the steady pulse beneath her fingers, she sat back on her heels.

            "Something is really not right, Jake," she said quietly, never taking her eyes of the form before her.  "No one has found the morphing cube, I know that for a fact.  And we know of no other race that can morph except for Andalites."  She turned to the creature behind her.  "Isn't that right, Ax?"

            Yes, as far as we have discovered in the universe, we have yet to come across any species capable of shape-changing or replicating our advanced technology, said the blue-furred alien, his almond-shaped eyes narrowing, which makes this situation quite unusual.

            Jake took a step forward and crouched beside the body, his face a mix of emotions.  "Nevertheless, we can't figure out anything until she's awake."  Reaching for her shoulder, he gently turned the girl over onto her back and brushed the hair off of her face.  His eyes widened a little and he drew in a quick breath.

            Oooh, can we keep her?  Can we keep her? said Marco, hopping up and down and clapping his hands, despite being a full-grown silverback gorilla.  Even Tobias' gaze seemed to intensify.

            The girl was stunning.  Her well-boned face, framed by dark blonde locks, boasted full lips, heavily lashed eyes, a pert nose, and a stubborn chin.  Her skin fairly glowed with a healthy tan and, although she was unconscious, she still appeared to be full of life and vivacity.

            Well, Rach, it looks like you've got some competition, leered Marco, grinning with his heavy gorilla muzzle. 

            Rachel gave him a withering look and looked to her cousin.  "So what do we do with her now?  I don't trust her in the least and I sure as he—"

            Jake, we gotta move out man, came Tobias' voice as he swooped back into the clearing.  There's a bunch of redneck hunters headed this way.  They're drunk from the looks of it, but not to the point where they wouldn't remember a blue deer with extra eyes and a gorilla and go blabbing it around some bar where slugs could be listening.

            "Point taken," said Jake, nodding.  "Marco, grab her and let's get moving guys.  No time to morph, just book it on two feet."

            You won't get an argument from me, fearless leader, quipped Marco as he lifted the girl and gently slug her over one of his huge simian shoulders as he and the rest of the group moved quickly out of the clearing.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

            After a few moments of sprinting, the seven slowed their pace to normal and Marco, ever the gentleman he thought he was, shifted his burden to a more comfortable position, cradled in one huge arm.  He and the others continued on in silence, each brooding over the events that had just transpired.

            "Is the circus in town?" came a clear voice, shattering the quiet.

            Startled, Marco dropped the now-conscious girl with an unceremonious thump onto the hard ground.  She glared up at his simian form, rubbing her now-sore rear, and moved to stand up.  

"Ax," came Jake's command.

Instantly, the Andalite cadet whipped his tail over his head and froze the scythe blade a hairsbreadth from the girl's throat, stopping her in mid-motion.  

The girl merely stared back, unimpressed by the unspoken threat.  She turned her brilliant blue gaze to each of those gathered until, satisfied with what she saw, settled them on the alien before her.

"If you desire an inquiry," she stated simply, "it would be much easier and more comfortable if I could at least stand up."  She threw a meaningful glance in Jake's direction.

After a moment's hesitation, he drew himself away from her gaze and nodded silently to Ax's inquiring stalk eyes.  

The blade did not move an inch.

Okay Ax-man, you can back down now, quipped Marco, hoping to break through the seeming trance-like state the blue-furred alien was caught in.

Moments later, with what seemed like a shrug of frustration, Ax slowly drew back his tail, his main eyes never leaving the girl's.

Nodding her thanks to Jake, she stood and brushed off her hands.

He regarded her with hard eyes.  "Understand that in no way do we trust you, and that our good nature rests solely on your cooperation."

"Warning taken," the girl responded indifferently.  Her gaze seemed to become critical as she searched the taller boy's face, finally coming to rest on his eyes.  "You've taken your assumed responsibility as leader to seriously, Jake."

The boy twitched at the mention of his name, and his demeanor changed to an air of shocked curiosity.

"You've let this war burden you too much."  Her eyes took on an almost sympathetic, knowing look.  "It has taken its toll on you, and, if you continue to allow the weight to remain solely upon your shoulders, it will destroy you."  Just as quickly as they had softened, her blue eyes turned icy-hot as she stared intently at the young man before her.

Sensing the tension, Cassie, ever the peacemaker, gingerly stepped between the two teens.  She looked questioningly at the blonde-haired girl who had turned their world upside down.  "How do you know our names?" she asked quietly, her eyes intent despite her soft tone.

Blue met brown and, after a moment's pause, the strange girl closed her eyes in what seemed to Cassie to be a gesture of acceptance.  

"I know more than any of you can begin to imagine," came the answer.

Each of those gathered found themselves drawing back from the girl, whether in awe or fear, none could ascertain for certain.  For in those few words, the girl's voice was no longer bound to their world.  An immeasurable sense of age, sorrow, burden, knowledge, and something unexplainable filled her words, either in reality or in their minds.  But each present felt touched by something otherworldly, and feared to speak or move, for apprehension of what repercussions might come.

After several long moments, heavily lashed lids opened to reveal the girl's piercing blue eyes, and the others were returned to reality.  

Tobias fixed the blonde with his stare as he ventured quietly, What are you?... Something tells me that you're not human, or at least not completely.  And you're not an Andalite, but you can morph.  He shifted restlessly on his overhead perch, unable to rid himself of another nagging, almost familiar feeling that plagued his subconscious.  So what are you?

"You expected an Andalite, did you?" she said, seemingly amused.  "And I suppose that your friend Aximili did little to convince you otherwise.  Typical of Andalites to be so wrapped up in themselves that they refuse to fathom little beyond what they foolishly assume and decree to be the laws of the universe."  She glanced pointedly in Ax's direction.

Ax's fur bristled with the insult and, no longer able to hide his bruised ego, lunged at the girl and arced his tail forward to rest quivering at the girl's jugular vein.  

Jake moved to stop the alien, but his cousin's strong arms held him in place.

"She can talk the talk, Jake," she whispered fiercely, "but can she walk the walk.  Let's see if she can hold her own."  The rest of their comrades in the clearing held their places.

"How dare you…" The Andalite's voice shook with barely controlled rage.  As the others around him held their breaths, the blue-furred alien pressed the tip of the blade into her neck, drawing forth a small stream of crimson.  "How dare you speak of my people in such a manner!"

The girl, although frozen a millisecond from death, seemed unconcerned.  "I speak of what I know, and nothing more," she responded casually, her eyes never leaving his.

Ax's four eyes flashed.  "And how is it you, human child, know so much about Andalites?" he queried, pressing his tail blade deeper into the skin of her neck.

Her eyes bore into his as she answered "Because…"

In a matter of seconds, Ax was no longer looking into blue eyes, but violet, almond-shaped ones set in a mouth less face framed in bluish-purple fur. 

"Because I am one," said the female Andalite before him.


	5. Identities

Disclaimer:  Okay, once again, I do not own anything belonging to the Animorphs story. Anything of that nature belongs to K.A. Applegate. The only thing I own is my original character, her storyline, and this story idea. Yay, I own something!

Author's Note: Man, it has seriously been a long time since I updated this story. I'm so sorry I took such a long hiatus from fanfiction writing, but college has a tendency to do that to people. Anyways, I'm back with another chapter, and since I'm in a summer semester, I will hopefully have time to crank out another one or two before I start losing my free time again. Sorry to all of you who have had to wait for another chapter (if any of my original readers/reviewers are still around) and if you haven't read this story yet, thanks for giving it a chance and I'd love if you'd review it. Until next chapter, ja ne!

Chapter Five: Identities

Ax stumbled backwards in complete and total shock. _How… how! _His mind raced through the events that just transpired. How was it that this human child had acquired an Andalite, let alone a female? As a cadet, he knew that there were no females in the space fleet near Earth, so how was it that there was one standing before him?

The rest of the small group seemed to share in their alien friend's astonishment, though each for different reasons. Jake's mind whirled in vain, trying to decide on a strategic plan of action to deal with this new development, but none could push past his surprise. Rachel, while bringing her grizzly counterpart into the back of her mind, found herself distracted by the newcomer's physical form, which seemed distinctly female. Cassie found herself awestruck at the speed and fluidity at which the girl had morphed from one form to another. Tobias remained perched on the branch above the scene, but leaned forward intently, taking in every detail that he could.

And Marco, well, Marco was trying desperately to rub his eyes back into focus, convinced that he couldn't have possibly seen what he thought he had seen.

"How- I mean- what the hell…?" he managed to stutter out in his confusion. He looked around at the other shocked faces surrounding him, seeming to calm down a bit. "Well, at least I know I'm not the only one who saw that," he mumbled.

Ax was the first to overcome his stupor. Gathering his wits, he charged back towards the strange female before him, tail arched high overhead. In a blink, he slashed his blade forward, only to have it knocked off-course by another blade. He took a step back and began circling warily, the female copying his move. Again and again, he slashed at his opponent and found himself denied.

Jake was still trying to get over his shock as the two aliens clashed. Nevertheless, his warrior instincts kicked in as he noticed something strange taking place in the fight. The strange Andalite seemed to block every blow easily, but never made an attack of its own. Making up his mind, he stepped towards the dueling pair. "Ax, stop this right now," he said firmly, authority flooding his voice. "That's an order from your prince."

Aximili stopped circling, but did not lower his tail. My prince, I will not leave myself open to attack from this…creature. 

With a small laugh, the other Andalite stepped back, lowering its blade and torso and spreading its arms wide in a sign of submission.

Jake, as satisfied as he could be with the situation, moved closer to the other Andalite, noting the smaller build, purple-tinted fur, and hint of femininity. "Is there any way that we can try a civilized conversation with no tail-fighting involved?" he asked, a hint of exasperation coloring his tone. "This isn't really getting us anywhere."

The strange Andalite inclined its head in mocking agreement. Fine with me, it said calmly.

No sooner had Jake had let out a sigh of relief than it added mockingly As long as you keep your pet pony under control. 

Marco tried to suppress a laugh as Ax once again tried to launch himself at the offending creature, but was halted by Jake's outstretched arms and stern look.

"You're not helping the situation," Jake chided as he returned his focus to the newcomer.

You'll forgive me if I seem rude, said the Andalite. It's been awhile since I've had to make polite conversation. 

Cassie stepped forward as she looked the smaller alien over from head to hoof with a puzzled look on her face.

The alien arched an eye in a distinctively questioning human gesture. Is there something about me that's confusing you? 

Cassie blushed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to stare," she said. "It's just that you look, well, different from all the Andalites we've met. Is is because you're female?"

The other nodded.

Ax's voice lashed like a whip through the minds of those gathered. She's no Andalite, female or otherwise. She's some cowardly thing that somehow managed to acquire an Andalite. 

The other sighed with frustration. Will you please drop the high and mighty act? 

Ax visibly bristled at her comment. Not until you explain yourself. 

Jake stepped forward. "I would like an explanation, too. For starters, though, would you mind morphing out of that shape? I don't think Ax will calm down until you do."

Obligingly, the girl quickly reverted to her human form. Cassie was again shocked to see the speed, fluidity, and control that the stranger had over her morphs, something that Cassie took a kind of pride in.

After she had fully resumed her human form, the girl sat down on a nearby log and looked around at the group, seemingly waiting for the questions to start.

Rachel was the first to speak up, giving the girl an inquisitive look as she did so. "There's one thing that I don't understand."

"Really? Only one?" Marco said snidely.

Rachel ignored him, still focusing on the seated girl before her. "You went from a hawk morph to a human to an Andalite. Yet you say that you're an Andalite." She paused, collecting her thoughts. "That doesn't work. If you're really an Andalite, you would have had to morph from the hawk to Andalite before morphing to a human. So you have to be human."

You see? said Ax. She's lying. 

Cassie stepped forward with a thoughtful expression on her face. "Unless… there's another explaination."

The girl regarded her with a level gaze. "So what do you think that explaination is, Cassie?"

"Well, if you'd care to indulge me," she said, "would you mind morphing to Andalite again?"

The stranger inclined her head and stood. Within moments, a purplish-blue Andalite stood in her place. Well? she questioned.

"Now morph into the hawk form we found you in," said Cassie.

"What are you getting at?" said Rachel. "That can't work. You can't go from one morph to another without reverting back to your true form. We've already established that she has to be human because of her morph from hawk to human without an Andalite stage in between. It's not…"

Rachel trailed off as she stared at the female Andalite. Her fur was beginning to take on a distinctive pattern that spread all over her body, suddenly turning three-dimensional as feathers sprang into shape.

The others stared in disbelief as the girl-turned-Andalite shifted once more, shrinking to take the form of a brownish marsh hawk.

The hawk looked from person to person, seemingly waiting for a response from those gathered. When none came, the hawk melted away as the stranger resumed her human shape.

"Wha-…wha-…what the hell are you?" stammered Marco. The others seemed to share his confusion.

The girl allowed a hint of a smile to play over her lips. "Let's just say I'm…complicated," she said. "But please just trust me. I am a friend."

"Well…friend… just where did you come from and what are you doing here?" said Rachel, the mistrust obvious in her voice.

"It's a long story," the girl said. "A very long story."

"Hold on, hold on," Marco interjected. "I have a much more important question than what you are or where you came from," he said. "Just what the hell is your name?"

The girl seemed to contemplate her answer before she spoke.

"Alex," she said. "Just… Alex."


End file.
